Future Alien movies (Alien: Awakening) in trouble at Disney

Stick a fork in it, its done. Sell the franchise to Universal.

I would love Legendary to get a hold of both the Alien and Predator franchises.

Shit just got real.

In an attempt to be optimistic, "family friendly" can be a broad term. Neither Avatar nor X-Men have ever been friendly to my family because we have some standards. Hopefully someone at Disney might give a chance. Since money talks, maybe the movies could still be made with lesser budgets. I would be OK with them even skipping theaters all together.

I wouldn't start getting your knickers in a twist, the WSJ article is entirely speculative and sadly for WSJ not very well researched.

I have said it before and I will say it again. If you want assurance that Disney will do right by the Alien and Predator franchises you need look you further than The Punisher, starring Jon Bernthal. The show, season 2 of which recently wrapped filming, is an R-rated realization of character that Marvel has struggled to translate to live action in the past. Despite being part of the MCU The Punisher is brutal and unrelenting, and much more violent and graphic than Prometheus and Alien: Covenant combined.

Stop worrying, Alien and Predator are in good hands. TBH they are probably in better hands now than they were at Fox. 

I never watched The Punisher, but hearing it has a second season tells me it is a streaming show. Perfect. We have several threads discussing franchises going this route instead of going all in for a rare theatrical experience. That is great to hear.

Well...We shall see how serious Disney is. I expect them to monitor these Alien/Predator websites for copyright infringement ...same as Youtube...Probably take down a bunch of content.

40th Anniversary is coming...will they celebrate it...or will it pass with a whimper?

I think as Gavin Pointed out it cant be because the Alien Franchise is a bit too much for the Kiddies...  The Punisher is proof that Disney will back a more Adult Movie.

The Big Problem is $$$$$$$$  Avatar, X-Men (Super Hero Flicks) make $$$$$$ 

This does not mean Disney would not License out Alien and Predator Franchises to other Studios who will Foot the Cost, or even SELL those Franchises to the right bidder.

I think right now The Predator is one to watch out for... IF it makes a Good Return and does not get much Criticism then Disney could see the Potential in that Franchise.. 

Disney would know the Alien Franchise in General has made a Good Return....  they would see Prometheus made a Good Return but see Alien Covenant did not... and they would be looking at WHAT made this movie not do so good.

If they continue the route Prometheus in part had paved.... then they could explore a Franchise Spin off that would suit a PG-13 if the Horrific themes are left out and Chest Busting etc.  But i dont think RS had intentions of making a Franchise that would be 12 years and under Friendly.

Then we have the Alien Franchise, Queens, Ripley etc and how the Prequels have NOT yet Spoon Fed us the Space Jockey and HOW those Eggs get onto the Derelict.

So i think Disney would likely favor a more ALIENY Blomkamp Popcorn Flick... and i dont think its so much "we cant do Gore and Horror"  it will be "what is going to get more bums on Box Office Seats"

So i think a ALIENY Popcorn Flick with some Tone Down on Foul Language, Sex/Nudity and Gore would be what Disney would go for to give us a 15 Cert Movie well aim it at 15+

But the Bottom Line for them would be HOW/WHERE do they take the Plot, what kind of Movie in the Franchise they make and if they Choose to WOULD IT MAKE $$$

Could you think of a ALIEN movie or TWO that can Please all of the Fanbase, and Deliver a Plot that pleases most?  This is something thats UNLIKELY to happen.

Could you invest $100-150M in a Movie and a Sequel and Guarantee a Good Return like 300%   i think thats a MASSIVE RISK

So then would a $50-80M  in todays Inflation make a Movie that can do any Justice?  Cuts would be made, and so it would mean Lessor Known Actors, or Not many Big Sets and then maybe Ropey CGI or Practical Effects.  Which could relegate any movie as similar to a AVPR

So i have concerns... but it does not mean Disney would not SELL or License the Franchise to someone else. I just dont think Disney would risk the $$$ on doing it themselves.

"40th Anniversary is coming"

Indeed i think if we GET NO NEWS by April 26th 2019 then we can start to Fear for the Future of the Franchise. Until then maybe we can be a bit Optimistic

If The Predator Bombs!  then i think this can have a Negative effect on Disneys outlook to both Franchises and Sadly i do think they see Worlds/Universes like AVATAR as being all the Rage.

100% believe an Alien 'tv' series (done well) would make a shit-tonne of money and drive interest in new films.

It would require a tremendous budget and competant director and a team of writers. It would need to be done to the scale of shows like Game of Thrones. If they could manage that, then I would get behind an Alien TV series. Otherwise, I would rather them not tarnish the Alien name with a cheap attempt at Television.

I agree with IRaptus. There are lots of good streaming shows out there on Netflix alone. They are pretty high end to me too. The quality and talent is out there if anyone watches some YT shorts. I also agree with Chris and think it could happen but execution might take a while to find the talent. A caveat would be that the major questions of the series would be answered and then it all ends so that we don't end up in an eternal watering down of the series. 

I cannot confirm whether the budget would be more or less than a summer block buster. I do know I can overlook some things as long as the story and memorable characters are there.

Chris you're right it would need a hefty budget and director, but 'TV' streaming series are the rage these days, and ground zero for entertainment media.

A successful series for the Alien franchise would generate popularity and cash for our films! XD

A series like Amazon's "The Expanse" would be sufficient. Small $$$ on cast, to then spend on visuals, scope and scale of production. 

I would like to see them do a slow burn drama-centric story for the franchise. Focus on driving the lore and mythos and explore all the nooks and crannies that couldn't be fit into films.

The obvious storyline for easy mass appeal and nostalgia would be the Hadley Hopes / River of Pain story, but its already been explored to death already (pardon the pun), and is a foregone conclusion.

I would like to see the Earth Hive story explored as a series, but fleshed out. The slow fall of Earth to the Xenomorph.

The series would follow the core Earth Hive story of Wilks and Billie but also the survivors on Earth as they slowly realise the horrors befalling the planet as the xenomorphs get a foothold then spread. After the Earth Hive trilogy story is done, they could follow some of the other Dark Horse comic/novels or branch off into something original    

 Hell, you could tie it with the end of AR and introduce Ripley 8, Call, Vriess and Johner to the survivors of earth!

That would be an interesting twist because in the Wilks/Billie story arc they work with another Ripley clone.   

Yep, streaming series could be better than a 2 hour movie by far. Part of the slow burn angle could be WY too. They could start now without any actors from AC. David's intent was implied at the end. Future shows could reference that with files downloaded from his twice disembodied head to fill in plot points- it worked for Shaw's story in a short.

The sky seems to be the limit. Someone just has to say "yes". If it bombs, so be it. Movies bomb too. Prometheus and AC weren't exactly financial block busters, but they turned a profit.

Another consideration is Predator. Sure, it probably has a hefty budget, but Black's motivation is nostalgic and pure. That is why it will probably be at least "very good".

The Alien series will die only if the bean counters want it to.

Essentially, Mickey Mouse have just acquired two franchises and that have made some money but have a good fan base.  RS is somewhat right in that it be dumb not to proceed with an expansion.  I do believe it will depend if The Predator does really well.  Mickey loves money.

I think the TV Aspect would be interesting but it depends how much of this Focus on the Xenomorph, i am sure we would come to the same Conclusion where most would assume a ALIEN TV Series has to show us Eggs, Face Hugers and Chest Busters etc and its a case of how many times can this be done before it gets well COOKED.

A TV Series would be ideal to Flesh Out things you are restricted to in a Movie, such as details/history and agenda of the Weyland-Yutani Company, the Synthetics and Engineers.

But its how do we introduce the Company, Engineers and Weyland-Yutani into a Time-Line that does not contradict the Movies?  

Maybe setting it after the events of ALIENS would work to Re-Introduce the Engineers and a whole manner of different but Similar Xenomorphs with a Cameo by the Traditional Xenomorph now and again.

I think Disney will wise up and eventually make an ALIEN movie, but it is not the first thing on the agenda.  After the guaranteed money makes are rebooted in Disney-like style, I think they'll bring out an ALIEN movie to put something out there that is unique, different, and something that is considered a classic.

The problem, though, is I really do think that the new ALIEN movie will be a PG-13.  I mean, I've read numerous posts on this forum alone that members saw the franchise before they were 17, which is the R-rating age.  Still, I think we all love the franchise because it is allowed to show some gore and explore sexual themes here among other things as well that just wouldn't make sense in a PG-13.

Still, one thing I would be glad with a PG-13 ALIEN movie is that there would be no shower/sex scene... especially with a Xeno in there as well.  Even if it was rated R, I'm sure Disney wouldn't allow that garbage.

Even though I think Disney is smart enough not to leave alone a classic, profitable franchise spanning decades, I'm just afraid it might take to long to get something out.

Hopefully Ridley Scott can smack some sense into Disney.  He did it with Fox for the first ALIEN movie.

Sometimes the Rating system can be more Lenient nowadays, the last Generation of 13-17 year olds from the last 20 years are not Grossed out by things that a Generation of that age in the 80's would have been.

A few Edits and ALIEN Franchise would Pass for a Cert 15 and what ever that is in the USA (complicated system lol)  so i think a ALIEN/PROMETHEUS Franchise can work for a 15 year old Audience, if you made TWO Alternate Alien Movies where they was the same but some scenes get Extra Treatment to make it a Cert 18 i dont think a lot would be missing to effect the movie to make a 15 version.

Alien Covenant was   a Certificate 15 in the UK and is there really a whole lot more Sex, Nudity, Gore and Foul Language or Violence in Alien Covenant than there was in the other ALIEN movies that is in Alien Covenant to Warrant a 3 year difference?

The ALIEN franchise for me would pass for a 16 year old but then we get to the Rating System where say there is NO Age 16 so you have to either have it as a 18 or cut some parts to get to a 15

I think with a Good Director and Planning you could make a ALIEN movie that has a Age 15 and Age 18 (latter has a few alternative scenes)

I think aiming a ALIEN Movie Towards Age 12-13 year olds would really not do the Franchise Justice, it just would not be ALIEN at all.

"that there would be no shower/sex scene..."

Ha ha... i actually think that such a Scene was a Must!  only in context to a WHAT IF as in what if the Plot did not have to Spoon Feed the Xenomorph in the First of these NEW Prequels.

Having a Pregnant (few weeks/months) Female get infected with the Spores and having a Neomorph Belly Buster in the Shower would have been HORRIFIC and definitely beat the Chest Buster Scene in Alien Hands down..

But yep this would not have been down to everyone's, taste, i have such a Scene in my ALIEN COVENANT Sequel idea, but its not a Corny Scene like AC where they are basically you know what before we get put on ICE lets do it. 

Its actually a Female who has a Ordeal, and is showing off when her Partner comes in to Comfort her rather than any actual Sex...

Look the article says that they will cut back cost on Disney formula stuff, and that makes perfect sense as even the highly acclaimed A quiet place made less them 350 mil. 

Must likely they will allow alien movies but with a reduce budget. maybe up till 50 mil to earn at least 3-4 times the production cost.

What is almost sure is that we won't have a War of the Worlds Crapstacle. I would also say they would reduce the sadism and nihilism (which are a trademark only of Cubed and Covenant, not the whole series), not the vulgarity and gore.

In the comments of a similar topic to this on avpgalaxy there is a post claiming that they already greenlit a sequel on a much reduce budget in April.

So knows, but surely Alien has become a niche

I guess it becomes a waiting Game.....

They must have been some way down the path to a Sequel, as RS had said they knew where they was going and actually are working on a draft and i think they had intended to hopefully begin Shooting at some point this year (Summer) i have to try and find the interview with RS but if i recall he also said about the movie then coming out 9 Months after this. Which maybe would have been around April 2019

When any Take Over Talks begin, then Projects get put on Hold, i think a low Budget could work if the movie is set on a Earth like Planet, and it does not have many Alien like Scenes.

But if we look at Alien Covenant and then ask if they Cut the Budget in Half, what effect would that have on the Movie?  Where would 50% Cuts come from... Actors, Effects the Sets?

I have a Concern that a Sub $80M Sequel would be on par with a AVPR as far as Effects.  And it would have mainly unknown Cast (but that does not mean Poor Acting) but i think any Space Ship Scenes would be Drastically Cut.

BigDave

The cast must be reduced, as many from Covenant were big name red-shirts. And they could be not so wasteful on the design, like investing in new monsters and the using the old ones from Alien Engineers. Also cut the viral campaign.

Even Annihilation looks pretty good and it only costed 40 mil. And life which takes place fully in space costed 58 mil.

Please define Alien like Scene. The landing of a ship? The exterior of it? The interior of the Juggernaut? Haven't we all see these a million time before?

What I say is that if the are smart could produce something sweet looking in the range of 50 mil. I don't have however any illusions that the movie will not be interesting as we all know where it goes.

If the juggernaut space jockey chair set is still built........they could make a series with the juggernaut the focal point.

(They rebuilt/made the Space Jockey chair for a 4 minute scene in A:C!! )

The set must be stored somewhere?

TV series:

Earth like planet...Strange alien object(Juggernaut )discovered 10 miles below the surface. Lots of caves/catacombs...minimal set design.....

Weyland Yutani timeline...lots of cool patches and gear.

Season 1

2 episodes trying to reach the derelict/object.

2 episodes exploring the Juggernaut.

Mutated cave insects/animals,  infected from leaking juggernaut canisters.

4 episodes trying to survive and return to the surface with alien pods/cargo intact.

I certainly do think a few cuts here and there to certain things can cut down a budget, so indeed Ignorant-guy things like the Viral Marketing can add to the cost.

Indeed some Space Flicks have done well on a Tight Budget, i think a lot depends on what the Plot is, and where the next movie would be set. Also having the Xenomorph appear only in a few scenes and kept to the dark, you could get away with having to invest loads in a Full Body Suit or Loads of CGI.

I think its a case of looking at the overall Budget that Alien Covenant cost, and then pondering if 2-3 of those Actors were replaced with lower earning ones, and if the Viral Marketing was not done.  Then i think we could save some money.

I think a BIG Saver would be getting Scenes Right, as in not only Shooting but when they make Large Sets or Shoot Certain Days Scenes and they get CUT these kinds of waste of time and money can add up i guess.

I think a lot depends on how many Space Scenes as in Sets on ships, outside shots of space and ships can add to a Budget and also how many Alien Monsters and how often they are used and the Creature Effects Costs/CGI really can also have a Impact on Budget.

I think depending on how much or less of these we have and the Caliber of Actors brought in then maybe a $50-80M Budget could be all thats required.

Keeping things on a ship works great since day and night are not an issue. Alien anyone? 

I agree the viral videos could be cut pretty much. Alien had maybe two and AC had several. It all adds up. 

Cast numbers could be reduced as well. Characters in viral videos were prominent yet hardly seen in the actual movie.

I am pretty impressed with The Predator for not releasing a bunch of videos thus far. 

What comes to my mind immediately after I have read this article is: why have something if you will not do anything with it? Wouldn’t it be smarter if they will sell it to another company that will be more interested in these kind of movies? Otherwise it is like having a book at the shelf that just collects dust since you will not do anything with it. It is meaningless in my way of looking at it.

As far as the credibility of the WSJ is concerned I am not sure. I have not heard much about them or the quality of their articles so we will see I guess.

I just think that a family friendly PG-13 movie with the Alien thing in it would be strange to say the least. Isn’t one of the thing with the Alien movies to stretch the boundaries since it is about life, death, birth, and that? Ever since Alien the whole Xeno thing is a metaphor for rape. Those are at least themes that are there if you look at the franchise and I am not sure how that would fit into a PG-13.

The alien franchise is interesting since it includes many things so you will have a very difficult to find two alien fans that will agree on most of the things. We will probably always have fans of the franchise that will find more or less things that they like with each movie.

Hopefully the franchise is not over

 Thoughts_Dreams Why? To not let others make money out of it, to keep control over the market.

 But atleast Blumhouse is interested in it https://movieweb.com/blumhouse-horror-franchises-scream-crow-alien/

ignorantGuy: That makes sense, I found the same info here: http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/968173-jason-blum-tweets-horror-movies

If Disney wants a family-friendly approach, they should sell the Alien franchise to Universal Pictures (Comcast) which is famed for its monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, Jaws etc.).

chli The same that made 2017s Mummy, that would be a big bore.

<<< enlightenment >>>

//what a shame for our human race

in fact after prometheus, alien covenant is the most brilliant unique exclusive hyped movie art work of all time. all blaiming people, setting bad votings, are rather stupid, not understanding the complexity, or re simply jealous. maybe that s the cause of mid gain budget. above all the decision working with disney, will lead to catastrophic reverse, and destroys this priceless project. maybe then people will realize, they re wrong. finaly this realistic master piece seems the definition of inspiration, to push forward into space, saving our race, while our planet will burn out as a candle soon, seems people ve not been enlightened yet.

I am looking forward to an Alien Park in Disneyland

We will carry on the legacy as best we can ^ ;) 

I told you guys so - I just can't quite remember exactly when, but it was by the time "Disney" started to be a word to consider (or fear).

Who is to blame? My personnal opinion: James Cameron and his "Aliens" fans. Being mechanical in terms of art means you go with the basics and the usual guns.

Cameron likes uniforms and guns and the beast (to be shot at) - and some bought it and didn't give Sir Ridley (and David Fincher's vision what they deserved).

 Sir Ridley and David Fincher's vision what they deserved - I can't find a way to edit my original post...

Wanna bet? Cameron is deep inside Disney now with that trashy (and popular) thing of his: AVATAR #(who knows by now).

Well, some will be happy to see the beast to be shot by some handsome marines...